Burnt Offerings (1976)

A family moves into an old, haunted house that regenerates itself by feeding off of the life forces of its injured occupants.

Director:

Dan Curtis

Writers:

Robert Marasco (novel), William F. Nolan (screenplay)

Stars:

Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Burgess Meredith

6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Karen Black	...	Marian Rolf
Oliver Reed	...	Ben Rolf
Burgess Meredith	...	Arnold Allardyce
Eileen Heckart	...	Roz Allardyce
Lee Montgomery	...	David Rolf (as Lee H. Montgomery)
Dub Taylor	...	Walker
Bette Davis	...	Aunt Elizabeth
Joseph Riley	...	Ben's Father
Todd Turquand	...	Young Ben
Orin Cannon	...	Minister
Jim Myers	...	Dr. Ross
Anthony James	...	The Chauffeur

Storyline

Ben and Marian Rolf rent a grand old country mansion as a summer getaway for themselves, their twelve year old son Davey, and Ben's Aunt Elizabeth. They feel they can't turn down the rent deal offered to them by the house's owners, siblings Roz and Arnold Allardyce, despite some reservations. First amongst those reservations, they are to take care of the house on their own, which Ben feels is too big a job, especially for Marian and the interior housekeeping. In Marian's words, the large size of the house is a "waste". And second and perhaps more important amongst those reservations, the Allardyces' aged mother will be staying in her room at the house, the Rolfs who are to provide a tray of food left outside her room three times a day, which Marian vows to take care of on her own, with no other members of the family to go into that isolated wing of the house so as not to disturb Mrs. Allardyce's peace. Upon their arrival at the house for the first day of their stay, they find a note ...

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Plot Keywords:

possession | obsession | summer vacation | old house | house | 

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Taglines:

Up the ancient stairs, down the twisting corridor, behind the locked door, something lives, something strange, something evil, something from which no one has ever returned

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pesadilla diabólica

Filming Locations:

Dunsmuir House & Gardens - 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA), Dan Curtis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The shot where the vines seize Oliver Reed's legs during the escape attempt were actually done in reverse. The vines were originally unwrapped from the legs and dragged off, but in reverse the vines appear to grab his legs.

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Goofs

When Ben is kissing Marian on the lawn, after they emerge from the pool one night, blue eyeshadow appears & disappears on Marian's face.

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Quotes

Marian Rolf: I've been waiting for you, Ben!

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Karen Black/Cheap Trick/Stanley Clarke Trio (1981)

User Reviews

They don't make horror like this anymore

The Chauffeur alone would have made this one of the creepiest horror films ever made. I literally went into tears because of his dark character. The cast couldn't have been better. To have Betty Davis, Karen Black, and Oliver Reed in your picture... the director had to know he would end up with a classic. The story does creep but I think that is what is wrong with today's horror films. Everything is unveiled too soon. If you pay close attention, the house they rent for the summer is also used in another legendary horror film from the late 70's. Don Coscarelli's Phantasm. If you wanna watch a film without the gore that has some real fright factor, watch Burnt Offerings.